Have you ever wondered about the views of the Founding Fathers on taxation?

In Federalist #31, Alexander Hamilton argues that the federal government has the right to impose taxes “in ordinary modes,” rather than taxing the states in aggregate capacity, with reference three principles.

• First, the government must have enough power and authority to carry out its responsibilities.
• Second, it is impossible to know what future problems the US government might face, so its ability and willingness to meet these challenges should not be underestimated.
• Third, because all governments require money in order to fulfil their responsibilities, they must have the ability to generate income

Check out what Hamilton has to say about taxes.

Go to the GrAdeSave Summary of Federalist #31

Credit for the summary and analysis for Essay #31 is given to Brittany Nelson and Christopher Higgins (second revision 09/15/2011). Weinbloom, Elizabeth ed. “The Federalist Papers Essay 31 Summary and Analysis”. GradeSaver, 30 December 2011 Web. 29 January 2019.